Apparatus for removing caps from jars



Aug' 12, 1952 A. TAMBINI Erm.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING CAPS FROM JARS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 25. 1949 INVENTORS AU8 12, 1952 A. l.. TAMBINI ETAL 2,606,707

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING CAPS FROM JARS Aug- 12, 1952 A. l.. TAMBINI x-:TAL

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING CAPS FROM JARS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 25, 1949 Patented Aug. 12, 1952 APPARATUS FOR REMOVING CAPSl FROM JARS! Albert Louis Tambini and Edward Neal Burnett, San Lorenzo, and Everett Melbourne Fischer and John Lima, Oakland, Calif., assignors to Gerber Products Company, Fremont, Mich., a

corporation of Michigan Application March z3, 1949, serial No. 83,058

This invention relates to apparatus for removing lids from containers and more particularly for the removal of lids from glass jars.

Occasionally it is necessary to reprocess food that has been prepared and packed in glass jars. One of the principal problems encountered in the reprocessing of the food is the removal of the lids from the containers. Ordinarily the lids are held in place by a rubber gasket which is urged forcefully against the walls of the jars, or a projection on their surface, by the lid which makes removal of the lids difficult. The large number of lids which must be removed, especially in the reprocessing of baby foods which are packaged in small jars, makes the removal of the caps from the jars a time consuming and expensive procedure in the reprocessing operation. The fragile nature of glass jars further a-ggravates the problem of removing the lids by automatic machinery because of the danger of breaking or cracking the jars and contaminating the food with parti- `cles of glass.

'It is Aan object of this invention to provide a machine for the removal of lids from glass' jars.

Another obj-ect of this invention is to provide a machine in which the jar is held firmly while the lid is lifted from its open end.

A further object of this invention is to provide a machine which will remove lids from glass jars rapidly and with a minimum of labor and supervision.

Still another object of this invention is to provide :a machine for the removal of lids from glass jars in which the danger of breaking or cracking the jar is reduced to a minimum. I

With these and other objects in view, this invention resides in a machine adapted to load the jars on a conveyor which carries them past a mechanism that punctures the lids of the jars. The jars are then rotated, while moving on the conveyor, again-st a plow which exerts a force gradually lifting the lid from the open end of the jar.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus for removing lids from glass jars comprising this invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical, longitudinal sectional view along section line 2-2 in Figure 1; Y

Figure 3 is an end elevational view from the input end of the machine showing particularly the apparatus for puncturing the lids of the containers prior to their removal;

8 Claims. (C1. 226-129) Figure 6 is a detailed sectional view depicting a jar in position as the lid is being lifted from the jar; and,

Figure '7 is a diagram of the driving mechanism supplying the motive force for the conveyor and rotating mechanism.

Referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, the machine -comprising this invention is illustr-ated having a frame I supporting a conveyor indicated generally by 2, adapted to carry the jars from the input end 3 of the machine to its discharge end 4. The conveyor 2 carries the jars past a puncturing element, indicated generally by 5, and a rotating mechanism indicated generally by. 6, which urges the jars against a plow 'l as they move towards the discharge end 4 of the machine. A motor 8 is supported on the frame I and coupled to Ia speed reducer `9 to supply the power operating the machine in the manner hereinafter described.

Referring -to the plan view of the machine in Figure 1, a feed table II) is provided on which the jars to be opened for reprocessing of the contents are loaded at random. At the input end of the feed table I0 is a disc feeder rII preferably taperling'from its center towards its outer edges and which is driven by a central shaft I2. Preferably `the outer edges of the disc feeder are slightly lower than the feed surface lll.v The disc feeder I I is positioned on the table I0 substantially tangential to the conveyor 2 for easy transfer of the jars from the disc feeder to the conveyor.

At the input end of th-e machine, a guide rail I3, elevated slightly above the surface of the feed table I0, follows the periphery of the disc feeder I I substantially to its point'of tangency with the conveyor 2. The guide rail I3 then passes across the conveyor and runs along its rear edge for the length of the machine to retain the jars on the conveyor. A second guide rail I 4 is supported over the disc feeder substantially parallel with the guide rail I3 by brackets I5 from guide rail 4I3 and spaced therefrom at a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the jars. The rotation of the disc feeder I'I urges the jars outward and'they are directed between the guide rails I'3 and I4. Further rotation of the disc feeder moves the jars onto the conveyor 2.

To improve the operation of the disc feeder I I,

a sleeve I6 is rotatably mounted on the shaft I2. A'sweep iai-m If'l is att-ached to the sleeve I' and extends therefrom towards the edge of the disc feeder. The sweep arm II is spaced above the upper surface of the disc feeder II for engagement with the walls of the jars placed on the disc feeder. Rotation of the sleeve I `l and sweep -arm I''I is prevented by a lever II8 a-ttachedto the between the guide rails I3 and I4 to pass underneath. A spring I9 secured to one of the brackets I5 and the end of lever I8 allows slight movement `of the lever I8 and sweep arm I1 but does not permit rotation of the sleeve IE. Thus, the sweep arm I1 yieldingly engages the jars and drects them towards the periphery of jthe disc feeder.

The conveyor 2 is driven by a sheave 2l at the discharge end of the mach-ine and passes over an idling sheave 22 keyed t-o a shaft 2'3 at the input end 3 of the machine. The sheaves 2I and 22 support the conveyor 2 at substantially the level of the outer edge of the disc feeder II toallow easy movement from the disc feeder. in addition, tracks 24 and 25 are supported from the frame I, as shown in Figur-e 3, to provide a rm support for the conveyor 2 from the input end 3 to the discharge end 4 of the machine. Conveyor 2 may be of any conventional type such as a belt conveyor, but in most instances it will be preferable to provide a conventional platform or tray conveyor consisting of a number of flat sections joined by suitable links. In this manner, aJ fiat rigid surface providing a firm support for the jars is provided. A rear housing 21 is supported by frame I along the rear edge of the conveyor 2 for the mounting of the puncturing apparatus. A front housing 28 secured to the frame I along the front edge of conveyor 2 provides a support for the backing plate hereinafter described.

As the jars move along the conveyor it is desirable to stop them in an accurately determined position for the puncturing operation and to space the jars at the proper intervals on the conveyor 2 for the subsequent operations. For this purpose, a star wheel 29 is mounted on a vertical pin 3| which rotates in the rear housing 21. The star wheel 29 is provided with a plurality of arms 32 which pass through an opening in the wall of the housing 21 and extend over the conveyor 2. The relative position ofthe star 29 and the conveyor 2 is best illustrated in the sectional view shown in Figure 5. The arms 32 engage the jars moving on the conveyor 2 and hold them in the proper position for the puncturing operation. Rotation of the star 29 is prevented by a detent 33, operated by a cam in the manner hereinafter described. Detent 33 periodically moves shown in Figure 4. The rocker arm 35 is pivotally supported by a. bracket 36, secured to the upper surface of the rear housing 21 and extending upwardly therefrom. Atthe rear end of the rocker arm 35, a post 31 has a roller 38 rotatably mounted at its lower end. Roller 38' is adapted to travel on a wedge 39 on the upper surface of a cam operated lever 4I. Lever 4I pivotsin a horizontal plane about a pin 42 extending upwardly from the upper surface of the housing 21.

Lever 4I extends from the wedge 39 past the pin 42 towards a cam 43. A cam follower 44, rotatably mounted on the end of the lever 4I, engages the periphery of the cam and actuates the lever. At the end of lever 4I, opposite the cam follower 44, is a roller 45mounted on the end of `the lever in a vertical position. Roller 45 rolls along the upper surface of the housing to supportthe lever against the force exerted by the roller 38 during the puncturing of the lids. vThe detent 33, whichl prevents rotation of the star 29, is mounted on the lower's'urface of the' lever 4I as illustrated in Figure 3.

Lever 4I is continually urged towards the rear of the housing 21 by a compression spring 46, compressed between ears 41 and 48 extending from the surface of the housing 21 and lever 4I respectively. The force of compression spring 46 maintains the cam follower 44 forcefully against .the cam 43 and allows accurate control of the movement of the lever 4I by the cam.

Referring to Figure l of the drawings, the cam 43 is shown in a position just before the cam follower 44 of the lever arm engages the wedge 49 on the outer edge of the cam. The wedge 49 forces the cam follower 44 outward and Operates the lever 4I to depress the plunger 34. Immediately following the wedge 49 is a depression 5I which allows the cam follower to move towards the front of the machine and thereby disengage the detent 33 from the star 23. The cam 43 is driven by a cam shaft 52 which in turn is driven by the motor 8 in the manner hereinafter described. v

The mechanism for rotating the jars as the lids are lifted from them is best illustrated in Figures l and 2. A plurality of moving endless belts 53 are mounted on sheaves 54 and 55 which rotate integrally with a gear shaft 56 and the cam shaft 52 respectively. The shafts 56 and 52 turn in bearings 51 mounted on the frame I. In the particular form 0f the invention shown, the shafts 56 and 52 support the sheaves 54 and 55 in position for the belts to move in the direction of travel of the conveyor above the rear edge of the conveyor and engage the walls of the jars nearest the rear edge of the machine and urge them in the direction of movement of the conveyor and thereby tend to rotate them as they move through the machine. A take-up roller 58 may be provided for adjustment of the tension on the endless belts 53.

A backing plate 59, best illustrated in Figure 6, is positioned above the forward edge of the conveyor 2 directly opposite the belts 53. The rear surface of the backing plate 59 is preferably covered with a sheet 60 of soft material, such as rubber, for engagement with the walls of the jars. The backing plate is slidably mounted to allow movement towards the rear of the machine on plungers 6I which slide in sleeves 62,Y rigidly supported by the front housing 28. The front end of each of the sleevees 32 is closed by a bushing 63 which serves as a base for springs 64 within the sleeves urging the plunger towards the rear of the machine. The rearward movement of the plungers 6I is limited by stop nuts 65 on the forward end of the plunger which engage the bushing 63. The position of the stop nuts 65 on the plunger may be varied as necessary for the proper operation of the backing plate 59 for the particular size of the jar being opened.

Directly above the rotating .belts 53- is a plow 1 positioned for'engagement with the lid of the jars. The plow 1 is tapered and increases in thickness towards the discharge end of the machine. In most instances, it will be desirable to position the plow 1 for insertion between the shoulder on the glass jar and the lid. As the jar moves towards the discharge end of the machine the increasing thickness of the plow 'will pry the lid from the jar. Supported on the backing plate 59, directly opposite the plow f1, is a hold-down bar 65 which extends over the tops of the lids of the jars as they pass on the conveyor 2. In those instances in which there 1s no shoulder for the plow l to bear against to prevent lifting of the jar, the hold-down bar 66 will serve this function and enable the lid to be lifted from the jar.

The arrangement for transmitting power from the speed reducer 9 to the rotating mechanism and the conveyor is illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 7. A pulley 61 is driven by the shaft of thel speed reducer 9 and in turn drives a pulley 68 vby means of a Ibelt 69. Pulley 68 is mounted on a` gear shaft 'II on which a horizontal beveled gear-12 is mounted for engagement with a vertically beveled gear 13. The gear 13 is keyed to the shaft 56 and drives the sheaves 54 over which the rotating endless belt 53 passes. Endless belt 53 in turn drives the sheave 55 mounted on the cam shaft 52. The turning of cam shaft 52 produces a similar rotation of the cam 43 and operates the positioning and puncturing mechanism.

A pulley 14 mounted on the gear shaft 'II operates a speed reduction mechanism, consisting of va large sheave 15 and a small sheave 16 on a shaft 11, through la belt 18. A belt 'I9 is driven by sheave 'I6 and turns a pulley 8I, keyed to a shaft 82 on which the sheave 2l is mounted. Sheave 2I drives th-e conveyor to move the jars from the input to the discharge end of the machine.

The rotation of the sheave 22 at the input end of the machine resulting from the movement of conveyor 2 turns the shaft 23 in bearings 83 mounted on the input end 3 of the machine. Referring to Figure 3, the shaft 23 turns a pulley 84, keyed thereto, over which a belt passes and drives a sheave 85 which is keyed to the shaft I2 of the disc feeder II. Thus, therotation of the conveyor will cause the disc feeder II to A'rotate at a slower rate depending upon the diameters of the pulleys over which the drive belts pass. l

In the operation 4of the machine, the motor 8 is started which causes the conveyor 2 to move from the input to the discharge end of the machine and rotate the disc feeder I'I: l The rotation of the gear shaft 1I operatesthrough the beveled gears to turn the shaft 58' and rotate the sheaves over which'the endless belts 53 pass. The endless belts 53 rotate the cam 43 as described above.

The jars to be opened are placed on the table I0 at random and pushed onto the disc feeder I I. Rotation of the disc feeder results in a continuous movement of the jars into the space between the guide rails I3 and I4. Anyjars which do not enter the space between the guide rails pass under the lever I 8 and are urged towards the outer edge of the disc by the sweep arm I1. The jars passing between the guide rails I3 and I4 move on the disc until they engage the conveyor 2 and continue towards the discharge end of the machine on the conveyor 2.

Movement of the jars on the conveyor is interrupted by the star 29 which extends outwardly over the conveyor. directly below, the puncturing arm 34. As the cam 43 rotates, the wedge 49 on its periphery engages the cam follower 44l to move the end of the lever 4I nearest the input end o-f the machine. The wedge 39, on the surface of the lever`4I, engages the roller 38 and lifts the post 3l as the wedge 39 moves toward the front of the machine. Rocker arm 35 is thereby rotated to lower the plunger 34 through the lid of the jars.

Continued rotation of the cam 43 results in The star holds a single jar 6 the cam follower 44 moving into the depression 5I on the surface of the cam. The end of the lever 4I is then urged towards the rear of the machine by the compressed spring 46 and the -detent 33 on the lower surface of the lever 4I disengages the star 29 and Permits it to rotate one-quarter turn. As the cam 43 continues to rot-ate, the cam follower 44 engages the circular portion of the cam which moves the detent 33 into the normal position illustrated in Figure 5.

As the jar with the punctured lid moves on the conveyor towards the discharge end of the machine, it is engaged by the endless belts 53. The driving mechanism is adapted to move the belts 53 more rapidly than the conveyor 2 to urge the rear walls of the jars in the direction of travel of the conveyor and tend to rotate the jars in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1. The forceful contact of the forward wall of the jar against the stationary back plate 59, which is preferably covered with a soft material hav-4 ing a high co-eflicient of friction such as rubber, results in a strong force rotating the jars .and moving them against the plow 1.

As the jars rotate,A the forward edge of the plow 'I enters the space between the shoulder of the jar and the edge of its lid. The gradually increasing thickness of the plow 1 towardsf the discharge end of the machine and the movement of the jar on the conveyor results in the exertion of constantly increasing lifting force on the lid of the jar. Moreover, rotation of the jars causes the force to be exerted at successive points around the-periphery of the lid of the jar. Upward movement of the jar resulting from the force exerted by the plow 'I is prevented by the hold-down bar 65. The jars move from the discharge end of the plow with the lids resting lightly on their top. In some instances it may be desirable to shape'the plow to lift the lid completely from the jar and discard it to one side of the conveyor.`

While this invention has been described in detail with respect to a `particular modification of the invention, it is to be understood that the concept of this invention is not limited to those details, but is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim: Y

1. An apparatus for removing lids from sealed 'jars comprising conveying means adapted" to carry the jars through the apparatus, cam actuated means for puncturing the lids preparatory to unseating -the lids and positioned above the conveyer at a rst station, a stationary inclined .plow positioned at a second station to engage lid .periphery between outer junction of lid and jar, endless belt means opposite the plow Vfor rotating the jar toward Ithe plow, and' power means driving the conveyer means to move the jar past the plow, actuating the puncturing means, and driving the jar rotating belt means.

2. An apparatus for removing lids from sealed jars having a shoulder comprising conveying means adapted to carry the jars through the apparatus, cam actuated means for puncturing the lids preparatory to breaking -seal between the lids and the jars positioned above the conveyor at a first station along the conveyor, a flat surfaced, inclined stationary plow positioned for insertion between the jar shoulder and the sealing lid periphery, at a second station along the conveyor, an endless belt opposite the said second station for engaging one side of the jar and moving to rotate the jar toward the plow. a stationary plate beneath the said second station for bearing against the side of the jar opposite the endless belt to cooperate with the belt in rotating the jar, and power means concurrently driving the conveyor means to move the jars, actuating the puncturing means'and rotating the endless belt.

3. Apparatus for removing 'lids from sealed jars having a shoulder comprising a conveyor adapted to carry the jars through the apparatus, cam actuated means at a rst station along the conveyor for puncturing the lid to break seals between lids and jars, a flat surfaced, inclined plow at a second station along the conveyor positioned for insertion between the lid periphery and the shoulder of the jar, guide means for engaging the jar opposite the plow to hold it in place on the conveyor, an endless belt opposite said second station movable in the same direction asv the conveyor and at a higherl rate for engaging the wall of the jar, a plate adjacent the second station engaging the wall of the jar opposite the endless belt cooperating with the belt to rotate the jar towards the plow as the jar moves on the conveyor, and'power means driving the conveyor, and endless belt and actuating the puncturing means.

`4. Apparatus for removing lids from sealed jars having a'shoulder comprising a conveyor on which the jars travel, a cam actuated arm ata first station periodically interrupting the movement of the jars positioned at said first station and in a fixed position, a cam actuated pin at the rst station adapted to puncture the lid of the jar while the jar is at the fixed position, a flat surfaced, inclinedplow at a second station along the conveyor positioned for insertion between the lid and the jar shoulder and adapted to raise the lid periphery as the jar progresses on the conveyor, an endless belt opposite the said second station for engaging the jars and moving in a direction to rotate them against the plow, a plate positioned opposite the belt and adjacent the plow to press the jar against the belt, the surface of said plate' having a high co-eiiicient of friction to resist relative motion between the wall of the jar and the plate', resilient guide means urging the plate toward the jar, and a source of power driving the conveyor and endless belt and operating thevcam to actuate the positioning arm and puncturing pin.

5. In apparatus for the removal lof lids from sealed jars, a conveyor for carrying th-e vjars 'through the apparatus, an intermittently rotating star positioned'at a first station having arms extending across the conveyor to stop the movement of Vthejars at a fixed position, a puncturing pin positioned abover the conveyor at the fixed position,'said star and said puncturing pin being operated by a cam whereby' the star rotates after the pin vhas punctured the lid to allow the jar with the punctured lid to move on the conveyor and to stop the next jar at the fixed position,

Irigid inclined plow means at a second station for jars having a shoulder comprising first puncturing the lid to break the seal, inserting a. plow between the shoulder and the lid periphery, rotating the jar against the plow, and simultaneously exertingv an increasing force over a substantial portion of a revolution of the jar against the lid with the plow to lift the lid from the jar.

7. In an apparatus for the removal of lids from sealed jars of the type having a belt conveyor for carrying jars through the apparatus and wherein the belt is positioned tangential to a rotary disc, a disc for depositing jars on the belt conveyor, rotatable shaft means keyed to the disc, a yieldingly rotatable sweep arm mounted on the shaft above the disc, spaced guide rails along thev conveyor and extending over the disc, and power means for rotating the shaft to move disc, arm and conveyor belt whereby the jars may be directed between the rails and onto the conveyor.

8. In apparatus for removing lids from sealed jars, the combination comprising disc means mounted upon a rotary shaft for receiving jars and depositing the same upon a conveyor, sweep means engaging the shaft above the disc to yieldingly urge jars to the periphery of the disc, la conveyor vfor carrying jars through the apparatus, the conveyor being substantially tangential to the periphery of the disc, spaced guard vrails along the conveyor extending over the disc whereby upon rotation of the disc jars may be directed between the rails and onto the conveyor, a cam actuated arm periodically interrupting the movement of the jars positioned at a first station along the conveyor in a fixed position, a cam actuated pin at the rst station adapted to puncture the lid of the jar and break the seal while the jar is at the fixed position, a xed plow of flat inclination positioned at a second station for insertion between the lid and the jar and adapted to raise the lid as the jar progresses on the conveyor, an endless belt opposite the second station along the conveyor engaging the jars and moving ina direction to rotate them against the plow, a vplate positioned opposite the belt and adjacent the plow to press the jar against the belt, the-surface of said plate having a high coefficient of friction to resist relative motion lbetween the wall of the jar and the plate, and a source of power concurrently driving the disc, conveyor and operating the cam to actuate -th positioning arm and puncturing pin.

ALBERT LOUIS TAMBINI. EDWARD NEAL BURNETT. EVERE'I'I MELBOURNE FISCHER. JOHN LIMA.

REFEREN CES CITED Y The following references are of record in the ile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

